Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Though he did stop over at Spero to check on the Xenos, Vahn spent the majority of the evening celebrating his reunion with Hephaestus, Loki, Hestia, Anubis, and, though they had shown up late in the evening, Eirene and Demeter. He also stopped in the orb to see how Nanu, Risna, and Asfi were doing, spending about six hours catching up with the three hardworking girls before returning back to the real world. At the same time, Vahn explained everything that was happening on the surface to the girls while also informing Finn that he may have to bring some of them out of the Dungeon, depending on the situation.Currently, though it could be sped up quite a bit if he called Terra down to help, it would take around 35-40 days before the first phase of construction was finished. Since Haven would be an actual 'City' in the future, the overall construction efforts would likely continue for several years. The main focus, at least for the time being, was setting up the defensive perimeter where the Tree of Life would be established. They were building a massive circular wall that was nearly 3km in diameter that would cordon off the area to everyone before the rest of Haven would be built after the fact.Ultimately, Haven would be set up in much the same way as Orario except, instead of eight sections, there would be ten. Around the wall protecting the Tree of Life, there would be five fortresses that would also be linked together by a massive circular corridor so they could reinforce each other. These fortresses would serve as part of one of the largest ritual magic circles that would likely ever exist in the record, powering the teleportation ward that Vahn intended to form within the heart of the Tree of Life. The five fortresses would also serve as the 'heart' of Haven, with the majority of the Alliances' forces and facilities located within. Though he would try to ensure that corruption never rooted itself within the City, Vahn knew that it wasn't realistic to think he could keep things tightly regulated when considering the types that would make the migration down to the 50th Floor.Eventually, after enough time had passed, there would undoubtedly be people born within the Dungeon that may even spend the early years of their life without seeing the sun. This meant, unless they deported children and denied permanant residence to people that made it down this far, the population on the 50th Floor would continue to increase with the passage of time. Though it would remain relatively low for several decades, the relative prosperity of Haven would undoubtedly cause a population boom after the base population reached a critical threshold. By the time fifty-to-a-hundred years had passed, there could actually be several hundred thousand people residing on the 50th Floor, with a 'migrating' population of several tens of thousands...In preparation for this inevitability, it was important that the foundation of Haven was unshakeable and that the Alliance had absolute power within the confines of the city walls. After all, especially once the power balance in the world was disrupted through the propagation of Eva's magic system, there would one day be hundreds of Level 5-7 individuals residing within this frontier City against the monster population. Such individuals could cause massive damage during conflicts and, in order to prevent lawlessness and catastrophic outcomes, the power base of the Alliance needed to be unshakeable. The Academy Vahn intended to build would serve the purpose of nourishing talent and power to keep things in check but there were hundreds of other implementations that would be necessary to keep order...One important step would be eliminating the current standing held by Nobles and changing legislation within Orario to regulate the kind of people that entered the Dungeon. The Guild had been far too lenient in allowing criminals and freelance Adventurers to essentially do whatever they wanted, so long as they didn't get caught. This led to things like exploitation, especially in the case of young and impoverished children that would become freelance Supporters. There were so many undocumented cases of ****, murder, and other vile acts that Vahn could not continue to tolerate the system as it was. In the future, those allowed in the Dungeon would need to have their identities verified and, those with any past or present association with criminal Familia would have to take vows agreeing to the same laws that already applied to most Adventurers.The biggest change Vahn intended to make was the complete refusal to allow children, especially freelance Supporters, to enter into the Dungeon. Though exceptions could be made for regulated Familia, as many large Familia treated their young Supporters with an adequate level of care, Vahn wouldn't accept the situation where children were exploited as cheap and expendable labor. If they were not recognized as adults in accordance with the laws of society, they would have to enroll in a Guild or Alliance sponsored 'Survival Course'. A system needed to be created to allow all children, regardless of if they were orphans or born into wealthy families, the opportunity to receive adequate preparatory lessons before exposing themselves to such dangers. Though this would cost several hundred million Valis a year, on the low end, it was ridiculous from Vahn's perspective that things had been allowed to get to this point after nearly a thousand years of civil and social development...To set in motion these legislative changes, Vahn needed to completely break down the corrupt system that was currently put into place by the Nobles. Though they were slowly changing, mainly to avoid a direct confrontation with the Alliance, this change wasn't nearly fast enough. Since they were also working with the enemies of the Alliance and trying to sabotage efforts that were literally enacted for the good of ALL people, Vahn's patience had worn out. The moment he saw the bomb carried by the Nobles' Expedition, they had moved to the very top of his blacklist and now they would be forced to face the consequences.Currently, Vahn sat across from a very beautiful woman who was flanked by four other members of the Civilian Council. The woman's name was Freyalise Achene, a woman born and raised in Orario who had once suffered at the handles of the Nobility. Her family business was destroyed after refusing to 'gift' expensive materials that had been required by their expedition party that had ventured near the Dragon Valley, one of the 'Three Great Unexplored Regions'. They managed to harvest a very rare mineral vein known as Dragon's Jade, used primarily in the production of some of the most expensive and lavish furnishings. When it was discovered that her family had come into possession of a large quantity of the rare mineral, the Nobles moved to seize it and, after refusing to hand it over, Freyalise' family had been ruined. Now, she served to represent all citizens who had been wronged by the Nobles and acted as the primary representative of the Civilian Council.The other four members present were all men, the youngest being in his thirties while the oldest was actually 106, being a Half-Elf that had faced persecution in the past. They came from all walks of life but had the common experience of suffering from the Nobles' tyranny, now committing their lives to making Orario a better place for everyone to live. Like Freyalise, they had all made public vows that ensured they would never fall to things like corruption and, so long as the people continued to support them, they would continue to serve Orario into the far future. Vahn admired what the Civilian Council represented and, in the power vacuum that would be left by the Nobles, he intended to make them the decision makers in Orario as they worked together to build a better system of government.Freyalise had a very stoic expression as she listened to Vahn's admonishment of the Nobles and his proposal that they become the foundation of Orario's new government. The Guild and the Alliance would obviously keep their power, but the Civilian Council would become the third branch that helped create laws that regulated the common citizens. This would include everything from trade, general taxation, conducting the census, and general policing. Though the City Guards would remain the higher authority during emergency situations, Vahn proposed that the Civilian Council also establish a court system that would also regulate things like criminal slaves in the future.Though Vahn was intending to abolish slavery in general, the merit of criminal slaves wasn't something he could simply ignore. Imprisonment wasn't a real solution and it would require a significant amount of resources to keep people imprisoned for long periods of time with humane conditions. Having people become part of the labor force, so long as the conditions weren't extreme, ensured that the tasks most people weren't willing to tend to were taken care of. This was especially important since many of the farmers that were sent to the Plains region of Eden were criminal slaves, most living relatively happy and free lives after their service had ended...For those who had committed heinous crimes, Vahn believed it was a mercy to pass judgment on and execute them outright, even if it sounded extreme. It was common knowledge that people reincarnated and Vahn's understanding of this principle was even more developed than the gods of this record. Because of this, though he would prefer to settle things diplomatically, Vahn knew that 'death' was more of a reprieve than an actual punishment, especially for those who had strayed too far from the path to correct course...After waiting for Vahn to finish outlining his basic intentions, Freyalise looked towards her fellow Council members before lifting up a small wooden totem, saying, "We will put it to a vote. Out of consideration for the support meted out by the Alliance in the past, I am not against elevating the Civilian Council into the Civilian Legislative Branch in the future. All those against, please make your objections now..." As they had long been preparing for this exact event, none of the councilmen offered any objections whatsoever, instead, showing eager and expectant looks as they held their own identity totems. Seeing this, Freyalise smiled and placed her totem forward, saying, "All those for the Sage Aldrnari's proposal, please offer forward your totem and recite your affirmation..."As if it were a race to see who could put their piece out first, all four men practically slammed their totems down and agreed to the proposal while Vahn observed them with mild intrigue in his eyes. These people would become the de facto rulers of Orario in the future and it was somewhat amusing to see them so motivated. When Freyalise finished looking to her left and right, her light brown eyes turned to match his as she smiled and said, "It seems we have a unanimous agreement. Though we don't have any forces to dedicate to the dissolvement of the Nobility, the Civilian Council will immediately begin maneuvering to replace the current government facilities with our own. We may need to rely on the support of the Alliance during this transition..."Vahn held up his hand, causing Freyalise's words to trail off before he explained, "The Alliance has already completed negotiations with the Guild and we will be dedicating the same forces that have been patrolling the City to keeping order. The Eirene Familia has already stationed members near the current government offices and, to facilitate a quicker transition, the Civilian Council is advised to seize these facilities for their own use. The Nobles may have built those facilities, but their intended purpose had been to support the citizenry. We would have forced them to yield them anyway but this will ensure there are fewer issues that would undoubtedly arise when the Nobles try to burn and dispose of official documents..."The man to the left of Freyalise, named Jackson Thune, released an excited laugh as he exclaimed, "This is great! We'll perform an audit on all the documents kept within and uncover even more of the Nobles' schemes! It's about time those bastards were exposed for the snakes they are...!" This remark caused the Half-Elf, named Aiden Cinderswill, to humorously add, "More like leeches..." Now, almost every member of the Civilian Council, now the Civilian Legislative Branch, began to chuckle. Freyalise also had a slight smile on her face, even as she lightly reprimanded them, saying, "We should not engage in such petty antics and immediately set about following through on our own part of the transition. The more time we waste here, the more time the Nobles have to dispose of the evidence of their crimes..."Nodding his head in agreement, Vahn rose to his feet and said, "I have already scheduled a meeting with the heads of each Noble Family...I don't imagine they are happy to have been waiting for the last hour and a half...hahahaha~." Vahn scheduled his meeting with the Civilian Legislative Branch and the Noble Faction at the same time, placing far more emphasis on the first group over the later. After all, he would be issuing an ultimatum and it would be 'beneficial' if they were already annoyed by the time he arrived. The Deval Family, especially, was at the very top of Vahn's list and he was hoping they tried to oppose his ultimatum...Realizing his own rather 'tyrannical' thoughts, Vahn wondered if it was events like this that had slowly pushed him towards the path of an 'Emperor' in the Divination. Now, even if he ended up on a similar path, things were very different and Vahn didn't mind deposing some corrupt Nobles. As a physician, he knew that the sooner people were liberated from such a cancerous system, the faster the healing process could begin. This time, a lot of the power in the world would undoubtedly be consolidated by the Alliance but, considering the changes brought about by the record's tier being increased, Vahn knew this was necessary. It was also better that the power balance established was enforced by beings that could essentially live forever, as the chance of corruption could be marginalized through proper regulation...Knowing he would be one of those eternal entities, Vahn parted ways with the Civilian Legislative Branch and began to fly rather leisurely towards the rendezvous point where he would meet the ex-Nobles of Orario. To give them a false sense of security, Vahn had requested they meet him at McKenneth Family's main residence. Marcus Vale McKenneth was the most influential man within the Noble Faction and Vahn knew it would give them a feeling of 'empowerment' and 'unity' if they were gathered together under his roof. Though this seemed like a detriment, Vahn wanted them to harbor such delusions since it would make his following actions more impactful. He had promised a reckoning and, unless their answer was satisfactory, there may very well be fewer influential families remaining in the City by the day's end...(A/N: Keep in mind that Vahn isn't trying to take away the property, businesses, and wealth of the Noble Families. Though they are seizing government facilities, he isn't going to 'rob' them, just strip them of the rights and privileges they had enjoyed for far too long. This means their future actions will be very illegal and gives the CLB and the Alliance ample justification for dealing with them rather harshly in the future. Of course, that's not to say that Vahn won't be treating them rather harshly next chapter :P...)(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Building a City ain't easy...','Governing a City ain't easy...','Faceslapping Nobles is very easy (o3o)...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

Nearly two hours after he scheduled the meeting, Vahn landed within the courtyard of the McKenneth Family Manor. There were barriers barring entrance to anyone that tried to enter from places other than the front entrance and, though he could have passed through without triggering them, Vahn chose to 'break' through the barrier this time around. This caused fluctuations through the barrier that set off several silent alarms, alerting everyone attuned to the formation of his arrival. As a result, several guards rushed towards his position but Vahn maintained a stoic appearance, back straight and chin tilted upward slightly. The guards, realizing who had 'intruded', froze on the spot and didn't know if they should try to apprehend Vahn or make way so he could pass unobstructed...Looking at the man with marginally more expensive armor, Vahn plainly stated, "Take me to the meeting room. I'm a little late, but I believe your Master should still be awaiting my arrival...?" Vahn had already sensed several presences gathered in what he assumed was one of the safe rooms of the Manor. They were unaware of who had intruded so Marcus must have moved them to safety until a report about the situation could be made. Vahn also sensed the presence of someone he had a slight interest in, causing him to look toward the adjacent wall and mutter, "Did the Smiling Reaper decide to escort me, or is it your hobby to spy on people...?"Seemingly unconvinced she had been noticed, the Smiling Reaper didn't reveal herself and instead pulled out a short-range communication crystal, likely reporting his arrival. Vahn chose to ignore her for the time being since she would undoubtedly be present when he met with the ex-Noble Faction. Since he didn't want to waste too much time with these people, Vahn started walking towards the safe room while the Guards were trying to receive their orders. The man he had originally talked to moved to block the way, saying, "Exc-" before Vahn backhanded him and sent him spinning into the adjacent wall. He wasn't here to keep playing the game orchestrated by the Nobles and, though he had kept them waiting nearly two hours, Vahn wasn't going to wait even two minutes for them to prepare for his arrival.Though some of the guards looked like they wanted to help out their companion, none of them had the courage to draw their swords. Vahn didn't spare them a glance, walking a direct route to where the former leaders of the Noble Faction were congregating. Nobody obstructed him along the way, likely receiving orders to allow him to move freely. It wasn't until an Elderly Butler met him at the landing of a stairwell that Vahn even encountered another person. He bowed low the moment Vahn stepped into the corridor, stating in a polite tone, "Allow me to escort you, Master Vahn..."If not for the rather large black aura surrounding this Butler, Vahn would have been impressed by the commendable display of etiquette. He was slightly curious about how the McKenneths had managed to secure a demigod as their Butler but decided to ignore it for the time being and simply nodded his head. This man was only around the peak of Level 4, which wasn't 'low' by any means, but, compared to even the weakest combatants within the Manor, he couldn't even compare to Tina and Shizune.Following behind the man, Vahn noticed he had tried to take a longer path to reach their destination so he immediately broke away and continued along the correct path, causing the Butler's aura to flare up. As soon as this happened, Vahn had vanished from the corridor and appeared at the flank of the Butler, palm pressing into the side of the latter's face before hurtling him through the wall. There was a magical ward left where his hand made contact, crackling with a powerful electrical current that kept the Butler from rising to his feet as Vahn pressed onward. He didn't mind overlooking the man, at least temporarily, but that didn't mean he would accept animosity openly.Shortly after leaving behind the paralyzed Butler, Vahn grabbed the ornate handle of a door and wrenched it open, irrespective of the barrier that tried to bar his passage. Inside the room, looking towards him with various expressions of shock and anger, there were eight middle-aged men and one rather old fellow who seemed to have one foot in the grave already. There were several maids and servants present as well, including the disguised Smiling Reaper. Vahn sent her a sidelong glance, causing her aura to flare up slightly, even though her bearing and expression remained unperturbed.At the center of the group, a middle-aged man with faded purple hair rose to his feet, a tired expression on his face as he bowed slightly and said, "Vahn Mason, welcome to my, Marcus Vale McKenneth's home..." The moment these words fell, a balding fat man with green hair and a piggish nose immediately exclaimed, "You have a lot of nerve, making us wait for more than two hours to attend a meeting YOU scheduled! Do you think the Nobles will just stand by and suffer your-" When the man's mouth tried to close, his teeth bit down on the indestructible metal of Vahn's sword, the tip of which now rested in his mouth as Vahn stunned the foolish man with his domain.The tension in the room immediately reached as critical level as the servant-cum-bodyguards moved to protect their Master's, only to find themselves unable to move as the entire room began to creak under an intense pressure. Vahn had constrained his domain, which had become much stronger in the past few days, causing the very void within the room to seize up and tremble. In a solemn and slow tone, ensuring that even idiots like this could understand his words, Vahn said, "I haven't come here to have a chat. I will speak and, until I am done, you will listen. Now, SIT...!" With his final word, the pressure in the room increased even further, forcing almost everyone that was standing to drop down to the floor unceremoniously.Though he eased up the pressure slightly, Vahn didn't pull back his aura as he pulled his sword out of the fat man's mouth, the only person who had been left standing. Now, he plopped to the ground like a sack of potatoes, greasy sweat pouring out of his pores as the blood drained from his face. He seemed to want to say something but was unable to form any words as Vahn brandished the sword, removing the saliva staining the blade, before returning it to his Inventory. Afterward, he moved to the entrance of the room before turning around, passing his gaze over everyone present before saying, "It must be quite difficult, suffering the tyranny of another...even so, I doubt what you've experienced is even one percent of what you have forced upon others. Though there are certainly exceptions among you, the system of Nobility has been corrupt for far too long. From this point forward, there shall be no landed Nobles within Orario. You will be allowed to keep your personal properties and businesses, but your right to govern has hereby been revoked in its entirety. All land rights you believe to be yours have now been returned to the rightful owners, the citizens of Orario. You will be compensated the minimum amount for the property based on the market price per acreage. The exceptions to this will be the McKenneth, Deval, and Reinhardt Families, as your extraneous properties will be seized as recompense for your attempt to destroy Lil Geirr after colluding with the Iron Hills to commit acts of treason, jeopardizing all surface-dwellers as a result of your greed."While speaking, the pressure in the room gradually increased, especially on the leaders of the formerly most powerful and influential families. When he was done, however, Vahn gave them some breathing room and hoped at least one of them would take the bait, offering themselves up as an example. Fortunately, the fat man, current Patriarch of the Deval Family, Georg Engi Deval, practically screamed like a slaughtered pig, "Scandalous! What right do you have to slander my family without offering up any proof!? You can't just steal away the property of the Noble Houses based on false accusations! My Deval Family is one of the founding members of this City, serving the interests of Orario for nearly a thousand years! I'll not lower my head and accept your libelous claims like some whipped dog! Even if you have the backing of the Alliance, gods have no right to meddle in the affairs of mortals outside of their own Familia. You can't just do whatever you want, boy...!"The entire time Georg was speaking, Vahn's expression didn't change in the slightest, keeping a small smile until the fat man's diatribe had come to an end. When he stopped to gasp for air, just as some of the other ex-Nobles looked like they wanted to step forward, Vahn beat them to the punch. Using [Shundo], Vahn appeared before Georg and, before the fat man's eyes could even widen, chopped down while in his Xuanwu form. Redirecting the force of the attack through the man's body, Vahn 'hammered' Georg into the floor before resting his foot on the fat fool's face as he said, "I have already given you more mercy than you deserve. From this point onward, you are nothing but wealthy families without any power or authority in the politics of Orario. The Civilian Legislative Branch will now create laws and regulate trade within the City. If you are found trying to act in the capacity of a Noble, your family will immediately be listed as traitors of Orario and exiled. Maybe the Dwarves will show you courtesy if you go to them begging for help...hmph...!"With his final snort, Vahn put weight into his foot and crushed Georg's head like a watermelon, punctuating his point and causing the majority of those present to pale. One of the few whose expression didn't change much was Marcus, looking as tired as when Vahn first entered the room as he bowed slightly and said, "The McKenneth Family will abide by the verdict of the Sage Aldrnari...I understand that our path had diverged from a righteous one long ago...one day, perhaps we will be able to make amends for our wrongdoings..." As he was saying this, Marcus wondered how he was going to deal with his children. Their identity as Nobles was something they had exploited for a very long time and he may have to put them to the sword himself if their family was to survive this catastrophe...Vahn was slightly surprised by the quick accession of Marcus but, remembering the middle-aged man's remarks and complaints about his children, Vahn realized he may not have been one of the 'problems'. His aura was more of a grey than the black present on many of the men in the room, with the elderly gentlemen being the only one with a slightly sunny aura. Vahn knew he was the Patriarch of the somewhat ironically named 'Savage' Family, originating from huntsmen. He had a rather terrible reputation after killing off his two eldest sons who, according to rumors, had squabbled over the right of succession before conspiring to poison the current Patriarch, Saxton Cruz Savage. After learning of the scandal, Saxton had 'cleaned house' and had nominated his grandson as the next Family Head...Soon after Marcus lowered his head, many of the other Patriarch's acquiesced and bowed, even though there wasn't much sincerity in their actions. Vahn didn't care if they openly accepted his judgment and expected that he would be 'personally visiting' some of them in the next few days. He had already sent a telepathic message to Fafnir to completely trash the Deval Estate, the next destination on his itinerary. For now, however, Vahn turned his gaze to Marcus before looking towards the Smiling Reaper and asking, "Tell me, Marcus, how did you come across a Half-Doppelganger? And you, Smiling Reaper, was it your mother or father who was a Xenos...?"This time, the Smiling Reaper's expression changed a great deal, though not in the way Vahn had expected. She suddenly had a very 'amused' expression as her form changed back into a very mature and seductive form, completely bereft of clothing as strands of pale-blond hair and feathers covered her delicate areas. Her skin darkened into a healthy brown as the color in her eyes faded into a milky white before turning blood-red. These eyes, combined with her enticing appearance, were rather striking...however, it was all offset by the 'too large' grin she had on her face, explaining her epithet as the 'Smiling Reaper'.Marcus had a complicated expression on his face when he saw Beatrix turn into her 'true' form, especially since she had revealed it in front of the other families, even if they weren't Nobles any longer. Still, feeling the pressure radiating from Vahn, Marcus explained, "Beatrix has been a servant in my family for generations...she was found by my Grandfather's Great-Grandfather within an alleyway more than three hundred years ago. I do not know all the details, other than that she had taken a vow to serve the McKenneth Family for the duration of her life after being rescued from a near-death state..." This was one of the closely guarded secrets of the McKenneth Family but, considering the circumstances, Marcus didn't have a lot of leeway to try Vahn's patience...Though she remained quiet when Marcus was speaking, Beatrix released a sensual chuckle before adding, "Back then, I never knew I would live this long...so, I'm a Half-Doppelganger, was it~? Very interesting, ufufufu..." Vahn didn't believe for a moment that 'Beatrix' didn't know what she was, given that she had more than three hundred years to discover her heritage. The members of the McKenneth Family would have undoubtedly investigated her but, from what he could discern, Marcus wasn't lying. This meant Beatrix herself must have 'disposed' of the records at some point and was trying to cover up something that had happened in the past...Turning his attention back to Marcus, Vahn stated plainly, "The Xenos are a protected species recognized by both the Guild and the Alliance. You have no right to keep the descendent of a Xenos as a servant or retainer, especially with such a restrictive and unfair vow. All Xenos have biological immortality and, being a Half-Doppelganger, Beatrix's service would have continued indefinitely without any justification. Her service should have ended with the death of your Ancestor so I will have you release her from this ridiculous vow in its entirety..." Though he knew Beatrix was likely a very cruel and sadistic person, it was because she had been manipulated and taken advantage of. She would have to face judgment, if not outright execution, but Vahn still wanted to liberate her and give the peculiar woman a chance to live a better life.Marcus' expression paled for the first time, lowering his head slightly as Beatrix answered, "Little Marcus doesn't have the authority to free me, as I had been tricked into making a personal life-long vow to serve his ancestor's descendants. You may find it hard to believe, but my cute little Master actually tried to free me when he was younger. That night, I made sure to 'eat him up' to show my gratitude, ufufufu~." Now, instead of being pale, Marcus' cheeks actually turned slightly red, causing Vahn's mind to dull slightly at the peculiar situation he was witnessing. Beatrix seemed genuinely fond of Marcus and, based on his reaction, the feelings were mutual...Feeling as though he had lost a bit of the momentum, Vahn increased the pressure on the room a bit before turning toward Beatrix with a 'fierce' look. Her body tensed up but the smile on her face didn't fade away, even as Vahn moved to stand before her. When she suddenly licked her lips, Vahn furrowed his brows slightly but, having already made his decision, placed his hand on the center of Beatrix's chest. Her skin deformed slightly and, like very thick molasses, began to 'flow' around his fingers as if she were trying to absorb him. Vahn didn't pay any attention to this and instead focused his mind, seeking out something he wasn't exactly sure he would find. He didn't have the ability to see souls but, as some gods were able to observe the ego, Vahn was looking for any sign of Beatrix's so he could try and erase the vow she had made. Unfortunately, by the time his hand was completely submerged, Vahn hadn't been able to sense anything and, unwilling to use the [Fate Severing Knife] in such a circumstance, pulled his hand free.Beatrix made a slight 'pouting' expression before giggling and resuming her rather creepy smile and saying, "Awww, and I thought you wanted to play~." Vahn ignored her remark, turning to Marcus and saying, "I cannot remove her vow, at least for the time being. So long as you do not try and use her as a tool against others, I will momentarily overlook her presence here...keep in mind, however, that the criminal acts committed by the 'Smiling Reaper' will not go unpunished. Given the current circumstances, the McKenneth Family will be held accountable for any verifiable criminal activities and you will be forced to pay reparations to the Civilian Legislative Branch. If you are found to use her to commit any future criminal acts, especially for the purposes of infiltration and espionage, I will personally wipe out the remaining McKenneth Lineage to liberate her from your control..."Surprisingly, Marcus looked more relieved than anything, bowing his head lower than before as he said, "I understand. Thank you for your lenience..." Hearing this, Vahn resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose and, after sending one last look towards Beatrix, turned to the other Patriarchs and said, "There are ongoing investigations into each of your family's actions over the last several decades. If you are found trying to obstruct these investigations, your family will suffer the same fate as the Deval Family..." With this last remark, Vahn made his way to the exit and passed through the broken door before continuing straight through the wall without stopping. Eventually, his figure vanished from the Manor entirely, causing the tensions in the room to ease slightly.Almost immediately after Vahn's figure had vanished, the youngest man in the group, Leonard Arks Walder, hurriedly muttered, "We need to move quickly to try and spin this in our favor. Vahn Mason's tyranny cannot go-" Mid-sentence, Leonard's words were replaced by a mouthful of blood as a resplendent golden chain pierced through his abdomen in an instant. He instinctually tried to pull out the chain as his two bodyguards came to his aid, only to be skewered by a second golden chain, leaving the three figures pinned to the spot before Flame Elemental energy converged around their body. As this happened, the surviving seven Patriarch's watched with blank expressions as one of their former compatriots burned to ashes...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Move, bitch, get out the way~!','*squish*','Play stupid games, win stupid prizes...?')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

Without much else to do, as he was just watching over construction efforts within the Dungeon, Vahn decided to spend time with his children until the goddesses returned. He found Eina breastfeeding Eiko within the maternity ward so they talked about everything that had been going on while he played with his sons and daughters in their cribs. Surprisingly, it seemed that Misha and Rose had officially become a couple at some point, bringing a somewhat strange smile to Vahn's face. He had sort of expected the relationship between him and Rose would develop at some point but, with everything that was going on both inside and away from the Manor, things never really had the opportunity.Rose never spent that much time within the actual Manor and, as he didn't proactively seek her out, it wasn't that strange for things to develop differently than expected. Though there were signs from both girls in the past that they might like him, Vahn had to accept the fact that feelings weren't something that could withstand the test of time without proper care. This realization was something he had already come to in the past but, having an actual example of people 'moving on', Vahn knew he needed to treat his own relationships better. Over the course of an eternity, the odds that one of his current relationships would end up falling apart were functionally one-hundred percent. In order to delay that inevitability, Vahn knew he needed to become a 'better' lover for them...Eventually, sometime after dinner would usually take place, the goddesses returned to the Manor in relatively high spirits. This time, Vahn was the one to greet the girls at the door, welcoming them home and sharing an embrace with each of them before they moved to the dining room. Once they had settled in, Loki broke the ice, explaining, "During my investigation into any 'enemies' within the Alliance, we managed to uncover a number of former servants of Nobles that had been infiltrating into several of the smaller Familia. Since this was another obvious attempt by those idiots to cause chaos within the Alliance, combined with the fact that they had colluded with the Iron Hills to bomb Lil Geirr, we essentially told that Old Fool that the Nobles had outlived their purpose. If you want to take care of them, feel free to act as you please, Vahn...kukukuku~."Though his expression didn't change much, Vahn's eyes had started to emit a small amount of illusory light and, though it was imperceptible by those gathered, the armored figure within drew its sword out of the ground. Vahn was fed up with the schemes perpetrated by the Nobles and, though he may not seize their properties and businesses, their 'authority' would be removed in the future. They were no longer qualified to pass laws and, as they weren't even in charge of security for the City in the first place, their usefulness had outlived itself. The moment they allied themselves with the Iron Hills and became the patsies of the Dwarves, they had lost what little remained of Vahn's mercy towards them...Even though it was subtle, Loki noticed the change in Vahn's expression and was wondering what he was cooking up in his mind for how to deal with the Nobles. No gods were allowed to assume control of the politics of Orario so it was very likely the Civilian Council would become the new legislative branch while Vahn would undoubtedly be the Chief Executive, even if he didn't assume the position of Governor. It was a secret that Vahn hadn't been privy to, but many of the members comprising the Civilian Council were people she had supported to rise to their current positions. Loki wanted to establish a foundation so that, if Erika wanted to get into politics one day, the stage was already set for her to do so. Now that things were playing out according to her expectations...well, she wouldn't be able to deny that there was a mess in her shorts...Vahn had noticed the small changes in Loki as well but didn't inquire about what schemes she had cooked up since he had long accepted that she acted behind the scenes in the interest of the Alliance. Instead, he looked to the rather distracted Hestia and asked, "What's wrong, Hestia...? Such a melancholic expression doesn't suit you..." Upon hearing Vahn address her, Hestia adopted a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes before explaining, "We also talked to Ouranos about the existence of Enyo and the location of Hermes...haaa..."When Hestia spoke, Hephaestus' expression turned slightly sour and even Loki became serious as she added, "That Old Fool was definitely aware of Enyo, but he wouldn't give us any information at all. As for that cheeky bastard, Hermes, he apparently didn't just skip the City, but the entire fucking Continent. He is on a secret mission issued by the Guild and, though that Old Fool wouldn't give us the key details, he did mention it was related to the Artemis Familia. She and Hestia had been good friends back in Heaven, as they were both one of the three virgin goddesses of the Northern Pantheon, and it seems like there might be some trouble based on how Ouranos was acting..."Hearing Loki mention other continents, Vahn's brows perked up and, after levitating a slightly startled Hestia into his lap to console her, asked, "I can't imagine the Guild having any involvement with the Empire...did he go to the Dark Continent?" From the information Vahn had about the rather enigmatic Empire, there were very few gods within the Empire and even its location wasn't publically known. If not for the fact Vahn had purchased a world map through the system, discovering that the record was actually much larger than expected, he wouldn't even know where to begin looking for them. When he had learned that the Empire was located nearly 400,000km to the West, Vahn had been shocked at the sheer size of this planar world...Loki nodded her head, opening one of her eyes to reveal a slightly envious glint as she looked at Hestia sitting in Vahn's lap, saying, "Though you could probably make it there in an instant with your ridiculous speed, the trip would take more than a week of constant flying if you flew on the back of a Wyvern. That place is very dangerous for both mortals and gods, however, so wait until we have more information before you decide to run over...that goes for you as well, Hestia. Remember, we already have enough problems here on Eden to be worrying about what is happening elsewhere. Artemis is a big girl, she can take care of herself..."Hestia's face became even more melancholic when she heard Loki's words, knowing the latter spoke the truth. However, she just felt like something was 'wrong' about this entire situation, especially with Ouranos going out of his way to reveal specifically that it involved Artemis, her only friend in Heaven besides Hephaestus. Since the red-haired goddess also had a similar feeling, she decided to speak up in response to Loki, saying, "The way everything is lining up worries me more than a little, Loki. We should talk with Ganesha about securing some Wyverns before sending an Investigation team to at least collect information..."Loki immediately frowned when she heard this, questioning, "And where would we even send them, Hephaestus? The Dark Continent is three times the size of Eden and there are almost no significant landmarks. You know very well what kind of environment the investigation team would have to face...I think the existence of everyone in the Manor is affecting your thinking. Not everyone is as powerful as those residing in the Hearth Manor and we can't start treating the lives of the Alliance members as if they are expendable. We just thwarted a large-scale attack on Lil Geirr and Vahn is currently wrapped up in trying to establish Haven on the 50th Floor. You really want to divert even more of our forces to send a group of people to search a massive continent where they wouldn't even know where to begin their investigation...!?"Instead of letting Hephaestus and Loki argue, Vahn held up his hand to ease tensions, giving an apologetic smile as he explained, "Loki is right...until we have more information, there isn't anything we can do about the situation. Our best option is to try and contact Artemis by sending a message through an oracle and seeing if any messenger gods are willing to reach out to her for us. There are just too many things going on right now for us to split focus and stick our fingers in a matter that may not benefit from our intervention...if something does happen, or we find out Artemis is in trouble, I promise to help out...okay?" Vahn cursed the comprehensive lack of information regarding the history of this record as, other than some relatively vague information, there were almost no historical texts within the system that related to the record of Danmachi at all.Since he could purchase items from the future of his own timeline, as the future no longer existed after he entered into the world, the only option was to seek out texts from alternate worlds. Though some of these undoubtedly had events that followed the original events, there were actually hundreds of thousands of years of historical texts with almost no information at all. It was like the mortal world was stuck in a ten-thousand-year cycle and even Enyo was completely missing from every single record he had obtained. All Vahn knew was that Orario had both faced and overcome destruction an infinite number of times, sometimes with Heroes other than Bell being the one to carry the mantle of the record's fate...Hephaestus showed a slightly troubled expression, especially when she looked at Hestia, but eventually released a sigh before nodding as she said, "I understand...it just feels like something terrible is going to happen..." Hestia nodded in agreement, causing Vahn's mind to begin racing since he knew very well that intuition wasn't something to be ignored. If both Hestia and Hephaestus felt like something was wrong, it may be 'too late' to act by the time something actually happened. He just didn't know what he could do about the situation without knowing more details about what was going on. Finding a single goddess on a landmass nearing 118,000,000km² wasn't exactly a small feat, especially without any leads to her approximate location...Loki also knew better than to underestimate the intuition of women, especially when they were goddesses, so she had a complicated expression as she said, "We need more information...someone in Heaven must know where Artemis is located. If we can find her location, it wouldn't be that difficult to assist her...we need to understand the situation better, though, or everything we're working for here in Eden may be jeopardized. The worst case scenario would be Artemis being forced back to Heaven so don't stress out so much..." Even as she spoke, Loki felt there was something 'wrong' about her statement and immediately found herself recalling the information Vahn and Freya had sent through the Network earlier.She had been 'extremely' intrigued in the concept of Vahn performing yet another 'impossible' feat, allowing a god to fully manifest in the Mortal World. However, if he was able to do so, that meant it was intrinsically possible within the laws and restrictions of the natural world. The question was, if a god fully manifested in the Mortal World, what would happen if they somehow managed to die? Could they even destroy their Avatar and return to Heaven after the fact? As excited a thought as gods in the mortal world was, there were many unknowns and she had been looking forward to uncovering each and every one of them. Now, however, a small amount of dread spread through Loki's heart as the thought of 'meaningful death' in the Mortal World become a real possibility. Previously, returning to Heaven for a few decades wasn't that big a deal...but would that be the case if her Arcanum manifested completely and she was somehow killed...?A silence fell over the room as no one knew exactly what to say at the moment to try and ease the tension. Hestia and Hephaestus were obviously concerned about their friend and Loki seemed to have come to some form of realization as she fell into deep thought. Vahn continued to hug Hestia's waist, gauging the reactions of everyone present before his eyes rested on Anubis. She was the least affected by the current situation as she and Artemis had never closely associated in the past. Being a Goddess of Chastity, Artemis had never really been fond of Anubis' personality and they had only met on a few occasions, mainly during gatherings in Heaven.Anubis returned a smile to her Master and, deciding she might be able to help ease tensions, said, "Now that Master is back at the Manor, we don't have to worry so much. If there is anything he can do, everyone knows that he will do his best to ensure everyone is happy. I'm personally very interested in meeting these Xenos and am also curious about the new Maids that have just arrived. If that sounds a little inconsiderate, I apologize..." Though it wasn't that the other goddesses lacked faith in Vahn, Anubis believed wholeheartedly in her Master. She thought it was a little sad that, when the man they all cared about had just returned, the conversation was already related to where he would be going next...Hearing Anubis' words, Loki and Hephaestus were a little shocked and Hestia had raised her head so quickly that she nearly struck Vahn's chin. He managed to tilt his head back in time to dodge her famously hard head as she looked up with an apologetic expression and said, "I'm sorry, Vahn, I...!" Before she could finish, Vahn sent a pulse of energy into Hestia's abdomen and caused her to start laughing as he forcibly broke the tensions and began tickling her, saying, "You know better than to start apologizing over such things, Hestia~." She thrashed about, trying to escape his hands while tears began building up in the corner of her eyes, exclaiming, "Ahh, Vahn, forgive me, ahahahaha~!"Though he relented a little, Vahn continued to tickle Hestia for a bit as he sent a 'warning' look towards Loki and Hephaestus so they didn't try to apologize. Seeing they understood his intentions, Vahn smiled and began to gently rub Hestia's abdomen as he said, "I will be back for a few days in order to make sure there aren't any issues with the Xenos. We have plenty of time to gather more information before anyone starts stressing out over such matters...for now, let's enjoy the time we have together, making the most of the moment until something inevitably requires us to change focus once again..." It wasn't much, but Vahn sent a little thread of stimulating energy into Hestia's body to tease her while he was speaking. This caused her body to heat up very quickly, face flushing red and she issued a small nod in response...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Misha NTR'd Rose!?','Oh no...Artemis-chan...!','Godhand Style: Spontaneous Tickle Technique~!')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

Chapter 844: CLB